Earl Hopkins is an award-winning reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer, covering the region’s arts, culture, and entertainment scene. He’s also a freelance writer who has contributed music reviews, op-eds, and profile stories for Billboard, GRAMMY.com, Complex, MTV News, Stereogum, UPROXX, SPIN Magazine, and other outlets.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Earl graduated from Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism in May 2019. After graduating from OU, he worked as an education and family issues reporter for the Evansville Courier & Press in Southwest Indiana before transitioning to arts and entertainment coverage.
Before landing at The Inquirer, Earl was an arts and culture reporter for the Austin American-Statesman and The Columbus Dispatch, covering music, fashion, food, and film in Central Ohio and Texas.
He has interviewed the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jason Kelce, Tracy Morgan, Chelsea Handler, Jill Scott, and other big-name celebrities throughout his career.
Earl is an active member of the National Association of Black Journalists, the Society of Professional Journalists, and NABJ Philadelphia. He’s also a noted public speaker who has addressed the state of the freelance economy and the future of entertainment journalism at higher-ed institutions across the country.
His upcoming book, [Working title]: “How J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar Saved Hip-Hop,” will chronicle the evolution of socially conscious rap and focus on the role Cole and Lamar have played in the subgenre’s salvation. The book is slated for a Fall 2026 release under Rowman & Littlefield, a Bloomsbury Publishing (US) imprint.